“Weight is the final selling point  for those who have nothing else to sell” -Steve Garro, Coconino Cycles With over fifteen years of experience in the bicycle industry, I have seen first hand the difficulties caused by a shop’s inventory driven sales practices, poorly designed bicycles, weight driven purchases, and limited stock sizes offered by major manufacturers. Shorter riders end up on 56cm road frames because that’s what was in stock...down goes the seat and on goes a shorter stem. The bike is sketchy to ride and the rider gets aches and pains all over. In the end they decide that riding isn’t for them and the bike goes into the garage for the rest of time. Don’t underestimate the fact that a shop has already paid for what it has in stock and needs to sell it to make a profit. Your interests may not be first and foremost in a typical retail environment. Riders weighing 230lbs come in looking for a 16 pound carbon race bike. They have the money so the shop completes the sale on the more expensive bike when they should have pushed the rider towards a less expensive aluminum bike that provides the stiffness required. Young racers think they’re going to grow so they buy a bigger frame that doesn’t fit. Give them a shorter stem, shift the saddle forward, send them out the door. Their weight isn’t distributed properly so they have difficulties handling and crash more than their peers. Bigger riders often get thrown on frames that are too small and then get the seat thrown back and a long stem put on. Their weight is also distributed poorly and their bike handles horribly. Creating a bike that is proportioned for the larger rider means that their weight will be better distributed and their bike will ride better. Commuters are put on hybrid frames with poor rack mounts and upright seating positions that hurt backs and catch headwinds like a sail. The ride to work is no fun and the car gets used to go to work more often than it should. Creating a commuter with the proper braze-ons and drop bars that allow multiple hand positions can increase how much you enjoy riding to work. These are just some of the situations I’ve encountered in my years in the bicycle industry that can be rectified with a custom frameset. While the term custom sometimes carries an elitist air to it, this is not the case. Prior to the days of mass production, it used to be that anything of quality was designed with the specific end user in mind. Houses didn’t get delivered on trucks only to be erected like tinker toys. Shoes were built by apprenticed cobblers, not children in sweatshops. Your bike, the thing that brings joy to your life, should be a custom creation crafted by a knowledgeable individual after careful consideration, not assembled in factory settings. It is only in a custom setting that you can get a bike that truly matches your needs and personality.
Shuksan Cycles
shuksancycles@gmail.com
4675 South Pass Road, Sumas, WA, 98295
360-927-2606
Design and Fit